So you pratice bondage, dominance and S&M and you need medical care. Perhaps you'er looking for a general practitioner for checkups. Or maybe you need urgent medical care. Perhaps you are concerned abut discrimination. Or you fear you'll have to spend too much time educating someone abut BDSM when they should be focused solely on your health. How do you find a provider who will be sensitive to your sexuality? And if you can't how do you handle your sexuality when dealing with such medical care providers? Read the Brocure

Beginning February 2011, new or updated KAP providers are requested to self-identify their Kink Awareness level in their listing.

KAP users have requested this feature in order to better understand the background and knowledge level of KAP Providers listed in our directory. This self-supplied rating information will be displayed in provider listings and is also available as a search field if desired.

The following definitions are used:

Kink-Friendly = open and non-judgemental of kink concepts and lifestyles, with general knowledge only.

Kink-Aware = have specific knowledge of kink concepts and lifestyles, have researched and educated themselves in these areas. May have some previous experienced providing professional services to individuals with these interests.

Kink-Knowledgeable = have previously provided professional services to multiple individuals in the lifestyle. Very experienced in kink concepts and lifestyle.

Between 1982 and 1986, Guy Baldwin, a private-practice psychotherapist in Los Angeles, developed a small list of other kink-sensitive therapists across the United States. He made referrals from the list on request. In late 1986, after he’d begun writing a monthly column on leather relationships for Drummer magazine called “Ties that Bind,” Guy arranged with Tony DeBlase, editor of Drummer, to run a monthly classified ad to make contact with other kink-friendly therapists. Letters arrived from everywhere (email wasn’t commonly used yet). Soon Guy had received and replied to dozens of contacts from all across the country. Some time later a small portion of the kink-sensitive therapist referral list was published in DungeonMaster, a magazine for the gay male BDSM practitioner.

Soon afterwards Race Bannon was talking with Guy Baldwin about his list. Guy showed Race folders full of letters from therapists wanting to be part of the referral list. Guy’s schedule wasn’t allowing him to keep up with the correspondence and after some discussion Race proposed taking over maintenance of the list. Guy agreed and Kink Aware Professionals (KAP) was born.

Guy and Race knew that people who enjoy the adventurous side of sex often end up having a difficult time finding mental health professionals sensitive to their needs. Too often clients hear that it’s their sexuality that’s the problem. That’s rarely the case. The usual issues facing these clients aren’t related to their sexual interests at all, but the sex-negative bias of some psychotherapists gets in the way of effective therapy.

Initially, the only way to effectively disseminate the KAP list to those that needed it was in printed form sent by mail. And that’s how the list was disseminated for the first few years. Later the internet and the web allowed the KAP list to be accessed online by anyone with an internet connection.

Other professional categories were added to the KAP referral list over time, but the number of professions was eventually reduced to the core three professions critical to kinky people in times of need: psychotherapists, attorneys and medical professionals. KAP now provides listings of hundreds of professionals that the alternative sexuality community can access at any time.

In January 2006, Race Bannon turned over management of the KAP list to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom.

If you are professional that might be interested in having people be referred to your practice from this site, read the full requirements and, if you qualify please register or login, then submit your information. Please note that submissions that don’t follow the guidelines below may be rejected.

Please be aware that by making a entry in this directory, you may be found by search engines such as Google, Yahoo or other. This is a open public directory.

Requirements for KAP Professionals

Acceptance of Diverse SexualitiesEvery professional who is listed on the KAP referral list must believe that alternative forms of erotic play can be healthy and proper expressions of sexuality. Some of the forms of sexuality we are referring to here are SM, BD, DS, leather, and fetish. In short, a professional must agree that any form of consensual sexuality between adults can be considered healthy if practiced in a safe and responsible manner.

Geographic AreasKAP accepts submissions from kink-aware professionals throughout the world. Most listings are in the United States.

Types of ProfessionalsKAP includes the following professionals in the referral listing:

Psychologists

Counselors and Therapists

Lawyers

Doctors

Health and Wellness Practitioners (non-M.D.)

Accounting and Finance

Life Coaches

Spiritual Advisors/Wedding Officiators

Web Design/IT

Internet-Based Businesses

If your profession does not fall into one of the categories above, you can list in the "other professional" catagory. We know many other types of professionals would like to be listed, but these categories have been carefully selected as those professions in which a kink-friendly attitude can dramatically affect the effectiveness of the service to the community. You may choose to be listed in up to two categories.

All listings will be dated when posted and a listing will remain active for approximately one year. Due to a large number of listings that have not been kept up with current information by the listed professionals, we have had to place a time limit on postings to ensure a reasonable amount of accuracy for our site visitors. But as long as you renew your listing every year, you can remain posted on KAP as long as you wish. You will receive one email a few weeks prior to your listing being deleted. If you do not return to the site to renew your listing in a timely manner, your entry will be deleted and no longer available to site visitors.

If you do not receive a confirming email after having made your listing submission, please check any SPAM folders or filters that may be associated with your email address.

KAP submissions are reviewed and approved as volunteer time allows, so please be patient. Your listing will be posted as soon as possible. Thank you for your participation in this important referral resource!

Kink Aware Professionals (KAP) reserves the right to refuse listings from any professional for any reason.

We Have No Sex Services Listings

The Kink Aware Professionals (KAP) referral list does not post any listings offering sexual services of any kind.

We Do Not Screen Our Listings

The Kink Aware Professionals (KAP) referral list is composed of professionals who have requested that their listings be posted on this site. None of them are screened in any way. This means that anyone contacting these professionals should take the necessary precautions, just are you would do if you were searching for a professional through any other means.

If You Have a Complaint About a KAP Professional

In the entire history of the KAP web site, we have only had two complaints about a professional's conduct. That is a very good track record for KAP, but we want your experience with the professionals listed here to be the best it can be for you. So, if you do experience any conduct from a professional that you consider inappropriate, we do want to hear about it. But, unfortunately, since we are solely a web-based service and have no direct contact with the professionals listed, we can not remove professionals from our listings unless requested to do so by some official certifying agency.

For example, many states have certification organizations for psychotherapists that monitor and act on reports of professional misconduct. If such an organization were to contact us with substantiated claims of misconduct, we will likely remove the listing of the professional in question. But we can not remove listings based solely on an emailed complaint. In one case, we received such a complaint about misconduct, but the complaint turned out to be unfounded and was generated by someone trying to discredit the professional for personal reasons.

The Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation's resource pages (http://www.clearhq.org/boards.htm for North American listings) include links to many of the licensing and regulatory bodies for various regions and professions.

The Kink Aware Professionals Directory (KAP)is a service offered by NCSF dedicated to providing the community with referrals to psychotherapeutic, medical, legal and other professionals who are knowledgeable about and sensitive to diverse expressions of sexuality.

KAP cannot in any way endorse or recommend any of these professionals, as their inclusion on this list is done without any screening by NCSF. However, each professional listed has volunteered to be available for referral to people involved in "kinky" sexuality (leather, SM, fetish, etc.) either by contacting KAP directly or through another kink-friendly publication or organization.

While the majority of KAP professionals offer services in the United States and Canada, we also accept submissions from kink-aware professionals throughout the world. In addition to their professional category, KAP providers may also list themselves in the "Worldwide and Internet-Based Providers" category to indicate that they offer their services via the web or phone.

The NCSF has formed a partnership with GayLawNet who has a substantual listing of GLBTI, GLBTI-Friendly and Kink Aware Attorneys.

NCSF hosts the largest known resource online for locating a Kink Aware Professional (KAP). Whether you need legal assistance, a CPA for your kink-related business, or just an understanding therapist who won't blame your kink interests for all of your life challenges, the KAP is the place to find them.

My
relationship with the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) began like
many others do. I was neck deep in a conflict that was based in my free
expression of my sexuality through my writing. I was asked to leave my teaching
position, an agreement was reached and I left quietly without creating a scene.
I used to teach in a small, private school in North Carolina, where my daughter
also attended school. When I left my teaching position I was assured that it
would not affect her last and final year of middle school.

Months
passed, and we were within days of her returning to the 8th grade when I
received a call from the Head of School that he had decided to rescind his
offer to allow her to go to school there. After heated debate, he agreed that
she could attend school, but if and only if I could secure a $1,000.00 expense
fee to cover her field trips and lunches in advance. It was a bullshit fee, to
be honest. It’s not required of any other parent. He knew that we would not be
able to come up with $1,000 in a matter of days. This was his way of keeping
her out without risking litigation.

So I
wondered what led this man, elder in his church, who had given me his word that
my child would be unaffected, to suddenly revoke something that we had agreed
upon? He said that based on an email to my husband, he had changed his mind. I
looked at Marky, while still on the phone, and asked, “Did you exchange any
emails in the last month with the school?” Of course he had not. Well the
school made a terrible error. They contacted my ex-husband, not my husband.
They contacted someone who has no legal custody of our daughter, and based on
that conversation had decided that I would no longer be welcome in the parent
community.

This
happened, I’m sure by no coincidence, at the same time that I received
threatening emails from my ex-husband, who suggested that due to my deviant
behavior she should come to live with him.

I reacted
immediately. First, I raised the money in a raffle that was initially supported
by Lochai and quickly built into a huge CommUNITY movement of kinksters who
were outraged. Secondly, I contact NCSF and accessed professional advice and
consultations through their Kink Aware Professionals (KAP) listing. With the
help of the community and the NCSF I felt prepared for battle.

Now, coming
full circle, I am honored that my PR firm, Quid Pro Quo, will be working with NCSF on the launching of a new blog. We are doing the work pro-bono to show NCSF our appreciation and to give back to an organization that protects all of
us. It feels really great to be in a position to give back. So do us a favor
and help us help them. We’ll be asking people to re-post and tweet links and I
hope you’ll consider it your way of giving back to such an amazing
organization.

You've requested to use a KAP Directory feature that requires you to be logged into our website.

Why register for an account?

You'll get the most out of the new KAP Directory features if you have an account on the NCSF website!

When logged in, you can:

Save your favorite KAP Professional listings, making it easier to find those professional listings the next time you visit the KAP Directory.

Save your favorite KAP searches (excluding zipcode searches)

Submit a new KAP entry or update your existing entry, if you are a KAP Professional

In the future, we may also offer the ability to subscribe to email notifications of new listings that meet your saved search criteria. Joining now means when this feature is launched, you will automatically be signed up.

Use the KAP Login to the lefthand side to login to your existing account or create a new account.

CDA Media Reports

Net Obscenity Provisions Revocation Sought NEWSBYTES By David McGuire http://www.NEWSBYTES.com December 19, 2001, Washington, DC -- A small civil liberties group has asked a federal judge in New York to revoke what remains of an Internet pornography law that was gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997. In a complaint filed in a New York City Federal Court [http://www.USCourts.gov ] last week, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom [https://ncsfreedom.org…

Techsploitation By Annalee Newitz San Francisco Bay Guardian, January 14, 2002 HERE'S YET ANOTHER wacky fact you probably didn't know about the Communications Decency Act ole Bill Clinton signed into law way back in 1996: the good citizens of some small town in Arizona or southern California might have the power to send you to jail if they think the contents of your Web site are "obscene." The CDA…

Communications Decency Act A Lingering Coup de Grace? By Tim Kingston January 23, 2002 You may dimly recall the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which unsuccessfully attempted to define and proscribe "indecency" on the Internet. That law's legal core--its indecency provision--was immediately challenged and rapidly struck down as unconstitutional by free- and electronic-speech advocates. But, what many may not know is that another portion of the law, prohibiting…

Can David Beat Goliath in the Battle of Obscenity? Part 2 By Judd Handler Ynot News, January 2, 2002 Last week's editorial featured an interview with John Wirenius, lead counsel for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and Barbara Nitke, an adult content photographer. Wirenius, on behalf of the NCSF and Nitke, filed a lawsuit on December 11 against Attorney General John Ashcroft seeking to overturn Internet…

Can David Beat Goliath in the Battle of Obscenity? By Judd Handler Ynot News, December 20, 2001 One would think it would take the giants of the industry to force the government to rethink existing, not-applicable-to-the-Internet obscenity laws. On the contrary, the little players may be the ones who are successful in getting the federal government and the Supreme Court to throw out irrelevant local community standards when…

New Suit Targets Obscenity Law By Julia Scheeres Wired, December 12, 2001 A national organization that promotes sexual tolerance and an artist who photographs pictures of couples engaged in sadomasochism filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to overturn Internet obscenity laws. The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and photographer Barbara Nitke argue that the obscenity provision of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) is so broad that it violates free speech.…

STANDING UP TO BE COUNTED: BARBARA NITKE CHALLENGES JOHN ASHCROFT ON S/M AND INTERNET OBSCENITY By David Steinberg Spectator Magazine, January 11, 2002 "No matter how we're wired to express love, freedom is having the courage to be who we are." - Photographer/plaintiff Barbara Nitke On December 11, Barbara Nitke and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom brought suit in New York City's Federal District Court, seeking to have the…

What's Obscene in Podunk By John Strausbaugh New York Press, August 28, 2002 Barbara Nitke is a well-known and much-seen photographer in her field. She's president of the New York Camera Club and teaches a course in darkroom technique at SVA. A nice, neat, sweet individual, she's the very very last person in New York City you'd suspect of being a pornographer. Which she's not, not exactly. She's more…

New York judges refuse to say Internet obscenity law is unconstitutional By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press Writer, July 25, 2005, 7:58 PM EDT NEW YORK -- A special three-judge federal panel on Monday refused to find unconstitutional a law making it a crime to send obscenity over the Internet to children. The Communications Decency Act of 1996 had been challenged by Barbara Nitke, a photographer who specializes in pictures of…

Fotog vs. Feds in Obscenity Law: Files suit to keep photos on Web by Veronica Vera New York Daily News, July 15, 2002 Photographer Barbara Nitke is used to being behind the lens, but if legal matters heat up, she may soon find the government focusing on her. Nitke is ready to step into the foreground as the chief plantiff in Barbara Nitke and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom…

Nerve December 11, 2001 Photographer Barbara Nitke and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) filed a lawsuit today, claiming the Internet censorship provision of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) violates the First Amendment right to free speech. The provision stipulates that "local community standards" will judge whether or not something is indecent. Yet attorney John Wirenius argues that "By allowing the most restrictive jurisdiction to define what speech can…

Lawsuit targets last scraps of Net-obscenity law By Sam Costello (IDG News) CNN, December 20, 2001 The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) and artist Barbara Nitke have filed a lawsuit challenging the remaining provisions of the Communications Decency Act, much of which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997. The act, or CDA, was passed in 1996 and was the first U.S. law designed to allow…

NCSF Tackles "Community Standards" For The Web By Mark Kernes Adult Video News, February Issue Washington, DC The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom may not be a household name, even in the adult entertainment industry, but if their recently-filed lawsuit succeeds, they may go down in history as the first group to secure Americans' core constitutional speech rights. NCSF is based in the nation's capital [~] in fact, only a…

Love or Obscenity? S/M Photographer Challenges Internet Decency Standards By Dean Schabner ABCnews.com, July 29, 2002 When Barbara Nitke wanted to put her photographs of loving couples on the Internet, she thought she should check into the laws first. That's because Nitke's recent photographs have been focused on how some couples express their love through sado-masochism. What Nitke found after reading up on Internet law and talking to lawyers was…

NCSF Newsletters

NCSF Newsletter 3rd Quarter, 2014 edited by Julian Wolf In this issue 2014 Roundup NCSF Thanks! Incident Reporting & Response Daily Flogger Satire Guest Blog: Out To The Doctor? Are You Ready for 50 Shades? Media Updates Representing on FetLife NCSF's 2014 Roundup 2014 has been a year of progress for NCSF and for people who are kinky and nonmonogamous. The national conversation about gay marriage, consent, and…

NCSF Newsletter 2nd Quarter, 2014 In this issue Go to the Cops Poly in the Vanilla World Meet Your Board Coalition Corner Media Updates Available for Your Event Representing on FetLife Go to the Cops Susan Wright You CAN go to law enforcement to report assault even if you're kinky. I get so mad when I hear people say, "You can't go to the cops," or "They'll treat you badly because…

NCSF Newsletter 4th Quarter, 2013 In this issue Happy New Year! NCSF's Consent Violations Survey 2014 Annual Meeting Meet Your Board Sexual Freedom in the News An Obituary for Leigha Fleming Representing on FetLife Happy New Year! From all of us at the NCSF we hope you had a wonderful holiday season and your new year is already great. Return to Top Coming Soon! NCSF's Consent Violations Survey …

NCSF Newsletter 2nd Quarter, 2013 In this issue Come talk about BDSM and consent! The DSM-5 Says Kink is OK! Why Support or Join NCSF? Representing on FetLife Come Talk about BDSM and consent! NCSF's Consent Counts project is holding discussions around the country to gather your input on our Consent Statement so we can move forward to change laws and perceptions of BDSM. Kinky people still have significant legal, political and…

NCSF Newsletter 4th Quarter, 2012 In this issue NCSF 2013 Coalition Partner Meeting in Phoenix Scholarships Available for Annual Meeting Support from a Leather Bar Meet Your Board: Candidates for Reelection Foundation Liaison to Present at Poly Living Coalition Corner Representing on FetLife NCSF 2013 Coalition Partner Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 8-10 Please mark this date in your calendars. In order to make reservations at the Drury Inn & Suites…

NCSF Newsletter 3rd Quarter, 2012 In this issue NCSF 2013 Coalition Partner Meeting in Phoenix Representing on FetLife International Swingers Day NCSF at FetFest Coalition Corner Meet Your Board! NCSF 2013 Coalition Partner Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 8-10 Please mark this date in your calendars! In order to make reservations at the Drury Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport and get the group rate of $109, please reference group #2151272 when you…

Press Releases

NCSF’s 2014 Roundup 2014 has been a year of progress for NCSF and for people who are kinky and nonmonogamous. The national conversation about gay marriage, consent, and even Fifty Shades of Grey are transforming mainstream attitudes. The change in the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5 stating that BDSM is a healthy form of sexual expression has also had a significant impact on both the courts and public opinion about…

Does your media agency have resources for these special interest pieces? Contact the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom for interviews and information on kink and open relationships. NCSF is the national advocate for consensual adult sexual expression. Why kink? There has been a significant interest in BDSM sparked by the wildly successful Fifty Shades of Grey. Similar topics appeared in recent TV Shows from CSI to House to Desperate Housewives, and even animated shows such as American Dad. Furthermore many…

Are You Ready for Fifty Shades? To coincide with the launch of the movie, get your Fifty Shades of Kink palm cards from NCSF to put out at your club or in local sex shops and bookstores so that people who are looking to find out more about kink know where to go. Contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
to request your cards. NCSF’s Fifty Shades of Kink resource page is for people who…

NCSF’s Kink Aware Professionals joins forces with GayLawNet NCSF has expanded the reach of its Kink Aware Professionals by collaborating with GayLawNet, which now offers a way for lawyers in their database to self-identify as Kink Aware Professionals: gaylawnet.com/attorneys/ussolc.html “Whenever someone can’t find a lawyer in NCSF’s KAP list, I always refer them to GayLawNet,” says Susan Wright, spokesperson for NCSF. “Many of their gay-friendly lawyers are eager…

NCSF Receives Grant Award NCSF is proud to announce the receipt of a $1,500 grant awarded by Tides Foundation. About Tides #TidesProject “Since 1976, Tides Foundation has worked with over 15,000 individuals and organizations in the mutual endeavor to make the world a better place. These include foundations, donors, corporations, social investors, nonprofit organizations, government institutions, community organizations, activists, social entrepreneurs, and more. We break down the walls between entrepreneurs…

NCSF Mental Health Survey Please take the NCSF Mental Health Survey! We would like to know more about your BDSM practices, mental health and relational violence experiences: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FZ2XDMP NCSF is working with researchers at Sam Houston University’s Department of Psychology and Philosophy who will compare our responses to two other sample populations – one college-aged and the other LGBT. NCSF will use these results to help with our advocacy, benefiting…

Military Court Accepts NCSF’s Amicus Brief in Support of Consensual Nonmonogamy April 24, 2014 – Washington, DC – The Navy and Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals has accepted NCSF’s amicus (“friend of the court”) brief advising the court that prosecutors are avoiding the Supreme Court decision, made in Lawrence v. Texas, that moral judgment is not a basis for criminalizing consensual sexual conduct, and that consensual sex should only…

NCSF Appoints Members of the Ombuds Committee June 3, 2014 - NCSF is proud to announce these appointments to the Ombuds Committee: Desmond Ravenstone, James Huesmann and Bjorn Paulee. The Ombuds Committee handles complaints and concerns regarding the conduct of NCSF officers and staff, and the operations of NCSF institutions. The NCSF Ombuds Committee shall be established as an Advisory Committee, as per NCSF bylaws, to review Coalition administration…

NCSF Files Amicus Brief in Support of Consensual Nonmonogamy March 26, 2014 – Washington D.C. – NCSF has filed an amicus brief in a military case involving a marine who engaged in a consensual threesome and because of that was convicted of adultery, attempted consensual sodomy and indecent conduct, a "crime" based solely on undefined sexual conduct inconsistent with "common propriety." In its brief, NCSF points out that…

NCSF’s Coalition Partners Come Together in Nashville, TN March 24, 2014 – The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom held its annual Coalition Partner meeting in Nashville, TN from March 14-16, 2014. The Coalition Partners voted in the new Board of Directors for NCSF, approved the 2014 budget, and brainstormed on NCSF’s projects and goals for the coming year. “The annual meeting gives NCSF's Coalition Partners the opportunity…

Media Outreach: We're Making a Difference

NCSF has successfully changed the discussion in the media by debunking stereotypes about BDSM, swinging, and polyamory

NCFS has developed a strong media outreach and training program for its coalition, supporting, and other partners.

NCSF has successfully become through dedicated advocacy, the leading media authority on BDSM, swinging, and polyamory

About Media Outreach

The Media Outreach Program is designed to reach outward to educate
media and respond to media stories about alternative sex. In addition it is designed to reach
inward to our own constituents to teach and train them in how to respond and deal
with media effectively.

Program Goals:The goal of the goal of the Media Outreach Program is to
change the public discussion about alternative sexuality and to educate and
support our members when they have occasion to deal with the media.